Borys Musielak Sparks Conversation with SMOK

[**EUVC HTW Borys Musielak: Investing in Central & Eastern Europe | The European VC Podcast Ep. 15**](https://www.spreaker.com/user/euvc/euvc-htw-borys-master-v2)

Welcome to the European VC Podcast, the go-to podcast for everything about European venture capital. In this episode, we are excited to have Borys Musielak, Founding Partner at SMOK Ventures, as our guest. SMOK Ventures is a venture capital firm that provides funding to early-stage entrepreneurs in Central and Eastern Europe, with a focus on software and gaming startups.

During this year’s edition of How To Web, we had the opportunity to record a live interview with Borys. In this episode, Borys shares his love for Bucharest and How To Web, and discusses the fascinating story behind the name SMOK, which involves a small kiss, a hairy ball, and a dragon. He also explains how the Silicon Valley roots of SMOK influence their approach to investing and growing their funds. Borys provides insights on the state-backed VC programs in Poland and the CEE region, as well as the impact of the Russian/Ukrainian crisis on the VC market.

Keywords/Tags: borys, capital, European, EUVC, HTW, investing, musielak, podcast, smok, smokvc, spreaker, startup, tech, theeuropeanvc, VC, venture, venturecapital, ventures

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**Episode Highlights:**

– Borys’ love for Bucharest and How To Web
– The story behind the name SMOK and its connection to a small kiss, a hairy ball, and a dragon
– The influence of Silicon Valley roots on SMOK’s approach to investing
– Strategies for growing from a 10M€ Fund I to a 50M€ Fund II
– Borys’ views on state-backed VC programs in Poland and the CEE region
– How the VC market is reacting to the Russian/Ukrainian crisis

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Watch the full episode on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID) or listen on [Spreaker](https://www.spreaker.com/user/euvc/euvc-htw-borys-master-v2). Don’t forget to hit the “Follow” button and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Stay updated with the latest European VC news by joining our newsletter at [eu.vc](https://eu.vc).

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***Sources:***

– [Spreaker](https://www.spreaker.com/user/euvc/euvc-htw-borys-master-v2)
– [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID)
– [eu.vc](https://eu.vc)

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Note: The video transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Source:

Today we are happy to welcome Borys Musielak, Founding Partner at SMOK Ventures. They help fund top early stage entrepreneurs (checks from €50k to €1M) based in Central & Eastern Europe, focusing on software and gaming startups. We were fortunate to record live with Borys during this years edition of How To Web.

In this episode you’ll learn:

– Why Borys is in love with Bucharest and the How To Web (hint: it’s not only coffee!)

– The hilarious story behind the name SMOK and how it ties into a small kiss, a hairy ball AND a dragon

– What the Silicon Valley roots of SMOK impacts how Borys and his team acts, works and invests

– How Borys thinks about growing from a 10M€ Fund I to a 50M€ Fund II and its impact on SMOK

– Borys’ views and insights on the state-backed VC programs that have been run in Poland and the CEE region.

– How Borys thinks about the Russian/Ukranian crisis and how the VC market is reacting to it.